1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for recording, an apparatus and method for reproducing, an apparatus and method for recording/reproducing, a recording medium, and a distribution medium and more particularly to an apparatus and method for recording, an apparatus and method for reproducing, an apparatus and method for recording/reproducing, a recording medium, and a distribution medium which are suitably used for recording video signals and reproducing recorded video signals.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, DVD-RAM has been proposed as a recordable optical disk. Such a recordable optical disk is proposed as a large capacity medium having several G bytes, and is promising as a medium for recording AV (Audio Visual) signals such as video signals.
As the supply source of digital AV signals which are possible to be recorded in a recordable optical disk, currently VHS or 8 mm video tapes and digital satellite broadcast are available, and in future, digital ground wave television broadcast will be available.
Digital video signals supplied from such sources are generally compressed according to MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)-2 system. Therefore, when a digital video signal supplied from such source is recorded in the recordable optical disk, a video signal compressed according to MPEG-2 system is once decoded, then encoded according to MPEG-2 system, and recorded in the recordable optical disk.
However, such processing including decoding, encoding, and subsequent recording in an optical disk results in deteriorated image quality of the recorded video signal.
In order to minimize the deterioration of image quality, a method in which a supplied bit stream is recorded as it is in a recordable optical disk without encoding and decoding a compressed video signal supplied from a source has been developed. In other words, the method in which the optical disk is used as a data streamer has been developed.
There is no management data for random access to a recorded bit stream in the recordable optical disk in which a video signal is recorded without encoding and decoding as described herein above. In detail, in the optical disk in which the video signal is recorded as described herein above, no management information for indicating a sector position where the provided program starts is recorded. Therefore, in the case of an optical disk in which a bit stream from a source as described herein above is recorded as it is, random access to the recorded video signal is impossible, the greatest advantage of a disk type recording medium is limited.
If an optical disk in which a bit stream formed by encoding an analog input in a recording apparatus is recorded is distinguished from an optical disc in which a bit stream supplied from a source is recorded as it is, the recording/reproducing apparatus involves two types of optical disk resultantly, such mechanism leads to high cost.
The present invention was accomplished in view of such problem, and it is the object of the present invention to provide capability to record a supplied compressed video signal without deterioration of image quality and capability to take random access to the recorded video signal.
A recording apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is provided with a file generation means for generating files which contain video or audio signals, a characteristic point information generation means for generating the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files for each file generated by the file generation means, and a recording means for recording the files and characteristic point information in a recording medium.
A recording method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a file generation step for generating files which contain video or audio signals, a characteristic point information generation step for generating the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files for each file generated by the file generation step, and a recording step for recording the files and characteristic point information in a recording medium.
A distribution medium according to another aspect of the present invention for distributing a program which is possible to be read by a computer for controlling an information processing apparatus to perform processing includes a file generation step for generating files which contain video or audio signals, a characteristic point information generation step for generating the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files for each file generated in the file generation step, and a recording step for recording the files and characteristic point information in a recording medium.
A reproducing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is provided with a file reproducing means for reproducing files which contain video or audio signals recorded in a recording medium, a characteristic point information reproducing means for reproducing the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files recorded in the recording medium for each file reproduced by the file regeneration means, and a reproduction control means for controlling reproduction of the files based on the characteristic point information reproduced by the characteristic point information reproducing means.
A reproducing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a file reproducing step for reproducing files which contain video or audio signals recorded in a recording medium, a characteristic point information reproducing step for reproducing the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files recorded in the recording medium for each file reproduced in the file reproduction step, and a reproduction control step for controlling reproduction of the file based on the characteristic point information reproduced in the characteristic point information reproducing step.
A distribution medium, according to another aspect of the present invention, for distributing a program which is possible to be read by a computer for controlling an information processing apparatus to perform processing includes a file reproducing step for reproducing files which contain video or audio signals recorded in a recording medium, a characteristic point information reproducing step for reproducing the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files recorded in the recording medium for each file reproduced in the file reproducing step, and a reproduction control step for controlling reproduction of the file based on the characteristic point information reproduced in the characteristic point information reproducing step.
A recording apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is provided with an input means for receiving an input signal which contains at least video signals, a characteristic point information detection means for detecting the characteristic point information of the video signal based on a signal contained in the input signal, a video signal recording means for recording at least the video signal out of signals contained in the input signal in a recording medium, and a characteristic point information write means for writing the characteristic point information in a recording medium.
A recording method according to another aspect of the present invention includes an input step for receiving an input signal which contains at least video signals, an characteristic point information detection step for detecting the characteristic point information of the video signal based on a signal contained in the input signal, a video signal recording step for recording at least video signals out of signals contained in the input signals in a recording medium, and a characteristic point information write step for writing the characteristic point information in a recording medium.
A distribution medium, according to another aspect of the present invention, for distributing programs which are possible to be read by a computer for controlling an information processing apparatus to perform processing includes an input step for receiving an input signal which contains at least a video signal, a characteristic point information detection step for detecting the characteristic point information of the video signal based on a signal contained in the input signal, a video signal recording step for recording at least a video signal out of signals contained in the input signal in a recording medium, and a characteristic point information write step for writing the characteristic point information in a recording medium.
A recording/reproducing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is provided with a file generation means for generating files which contain video or audio signals, a characteristic point information generation means for generating the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files for each file generated by the file generation means, a recording means for recording the files and characteristic point information in a recording medium, a file reproducing means for reproducing files which contain video or audio signals recorded in a recording medium, a characteristic point information reproducing means for reproducing the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files recorded in the recording medium for each file reproduced by the file regeneration means, and a reproduction control means for controlling reproduction of the files based on the characteristic point information reproduced by the characteristic point information reproducing means.
A recording/reproducing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a file generation step for generating files which contain video or audio signals, a characteristic point information generation step for generating the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files for each file generated by the file generation step, a recording step for recording the files and characteristic point information in a recording medium, a file reproducing step for reproducing files which contain video or audio signals recorded in a recording medium, a characteristic point information reproducing step for reproducing the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files recorded in the recording medium for each file reproduced in the file reproduction step, and a reproduction control step for controlling reproduction of the file based on the characteristic point information reproduced in the characteristic point information reproducing step.
A distribution medium, according to another aspect of the present invention, for distributing programs which are possible to be read by a computer for controlling an information processing apparatus to perform processing includes a file generation step for generating files which contain video or audio signals, a characteristic point information generation step for generating the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files for each file generated in the file generation step, a recording step for recording the files and characteristic point information in a recording medium, a file reproducing step for reproducing files containing video or audio signals recorded in a recording medium, a characteristic point information reproducing step for reproducing the characteristic point information of the video or audio signals contained in the files recorded in the recording medium for each file reproduced in the file reproducing step, and a reproduction control step for controlling reproduction of the file based on the characteristic point information reproduced in the characteristic point information reproducing step.
In the recording apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the recording method described in claim 5, and the distribution medium described in claim 6, the characteristic point information of video or audio signals in the file is recorded in a recording medium for each file.
In the reproducing according to another aspect of the present invention, the reproducing method according to one aspect of the present invention, and the distribution medium according to one aspect of the present invention, reproduction of the file is controlled based on the characteristic point information recorded in a recording medium for each file.
In the recording apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the recording method according to another aspect of the present invention, and the distribution medium according to another aspect of the present invention, the characteristic point information of the video signal is detected and recorded in a recording medium together with the video signal.
In the recording/reproducing apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the recording/reproducing method according to another aspect of the present invention, and the distribution medium according to another aspect of the present invention, files and the characteristic point information of each file are recorded in a recording medium. The reproduction of the file is controlled correspondingly to the reproduced characteristic point information.